Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v. To be unable to remember the name of a person you are speaking to, even though you've had a long-standing, and perhaps even an intimate relationship. n. An inability to remember a person's name.
Verboticisms
Click on each verboticism to read the sentences created by the Verbotomy writers, and to see your voting options...
You have two votes. Click on the words to read the details, then vote your favorite.
Nomenblanken
Created by: mweinmann
Pronunciation: no - men - blank - n
Sentence: Raymond was great with faces but often forgot people's names. Sometimes he suffered from nomenblanken with people he had known for years. Especially asmusing was his talent for switching first and last names between his coworkers and friends.
Etymology: This is a play on the word nomenculture (a system of words used to name things in a particular discipline; "legal terminology"; "biological nomenclature;A system or arrangement of names) and the word blank (a gap or missing part).
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COMMENTS:
Nice! Sounds a bit like Teutonic mythology, too. - metrohumanx, 2008-12-29: 19:13:00
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Stnammer
Created by: bookowl
Pronunciation: stnam/ur
Sentence: A stnammer is a memory impediment that gets worse with age.
Etymology: stammer + name
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COMMENTS:
Captures it all! So apt! Stammer was a great choice for it conveys stnammering is a fluctuating, often temporary condition. Intuitively great. Outstanding! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 10:51:00
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Facialapsosis
Created by: metrohumanx
Pronunciation: FAYshull-APSE-OH!-sis
Sentence: Wilfred's palms began to sweat when the mystery woman called his name and coiled her arms around his neck like albino boa constrictors. Managing his best fake smile, names began to flood into his empty skull like a leak in a brass diving helmet. Wilfred was a victim of FACIALAPSOSIS - the often fatal inability to recall the name of someone from the not-so-remote past.
Etymology: FACIAl+LAPSe+OSIS=FACIALAPSOSIS........FACIAL:of or relating to the face, esp one you should know well.....LAPSE:a slight error typically due to forgetfulness or inattention;Latin lapsus, from labi to slip.....-OSIS:indicating a condition or untreated affliction.
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COMMENTS:
Great sentence. Painted the picture in the mind! Great create with very original etymology, too! - silveryaspen, 2008-12-29: 10:19:00
Thanks! FIFTY Verbotomists today! I'm gabberflasted. - metrohumanx, 2008-12-29: 19:07:00
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Skiptag
Created by: silveryaspen
Pronunciation: skip tag
Sentence: Skiptag is the game my brain plays on me when it hides a name so well, I can't find it. The worst skiptag experience I ever had was when I tried word association to remember the name Peter and called him Dick. Word association doesn't help skiptag! It only makes it more embarassing!
Etymology: Skipping - MISSING. Tag - NAME.
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COMMENTS:
been there - done that - Jabberwocky, 2008-12-29: 15:24:00
Ooooh- quite ultramodern. Good one! - metrohumanx, 2008-12-29: 19:15:00
hahahaha, how embarrasing!! - mweinmann, 2008-12-30: 08:59:00
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Oblivinom
Created by: freiflug
Pronunciation: /ə'blɪvɪnom/
Sentence: "Oblivinom is known to men for decades: the inability to remember names of familiar individuals." "Oblivinom should not be confused with oblivinomnom, which expresses itself in not being able to remember what one has eaten for dinner, even though that was just half an hour ago."
Etymology: oblivion: the state of forgetfulness; nomus: Latin for name
Namenesia
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: naym-NEEZ-ya
Sentence: Filbert could remember the winners of the last 30 world series, last 15 superbowls, and every MLB MVP since 1990 but when it came to instant recall of people's names he had recurring bouts of very severe namenesia.
Etymology: Blend of name and amnesia
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COMMENTS:
Good one, what's your name! - Nosila, 2008-12-29: 00:54:00
Puddin' Tame.....acks me agin 'n I'll tell ya thuh same.... - Mustang, 2008-12-29: 03:02:00
...And I can't even remember "who's on first"! - metrohumanx, 2008-12-29: 19:17:00
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Dejawho
Created by: leegro
Pronunciation: /dey-zhah-hoo/
Sentence: As she walked down the aisle of the airplane, Sarah had a sinking feeling of dejawho. Hadn't she once drunkely groped the sweaty man in the aisle seat across from her?
Etymology: From "deja vu," which is French for "I'm not forgetful, I'm just self-absorbed," and "who," which should feel like a familiar word to most of you.
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COMMENTS:
What a twist ... a woman groping a man! But the twists in your etymology are even better! Insightfully Clever! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 17:14:00
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Namenesia
Created by: 1101347158
Pronunciation: name
Sentence: I have namenesia at my cousin's party... It was kind of embarassing
Etymology: name + amnesia
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COMMENTS:
Schmidt's " A Medical Word Finder" gives 'Lethonomia' as inability to recognize names and ' Anomia' as loss of ability to recognize names; I like your word better. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-04: 19:45:00
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Forgetphil
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: for get fil
Sentence: When George brought his friend, Phil, home, he was unaware that Phil already "knew" his wife Julia in the Biblical way. But Phil had had so many previous girlfriends that he could not recall Julia. He was forgetphil, like someone who drank too much Milk of Amnesia...
Etymology: Forget (not able to remember) & play on forgetful (not retentive)
Aliauhm
Created by: jajsr
Pronunciation: Ale-lee-uh-m
Sentence: Rick was popular at work, and he spoke to everyone. But when asked if he knew the name of the new accountant in the finance department, Rick came up with all kinds of aliauhms.
Etymology: Combination of "Alia" from alias - an assumed or additional name; and "Uhm"
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by silveryaspen. Thank you silveryaspen. ~ James
silveryaspen - 2008-03-04: 17:07:00
Your great word associations and creations made my day, everyone. It is a pleasure to have these mind associations with all of you every day! Isn't this website like sunshine for the mind? !!! Everyone contributes some rays! Everyone goes away warmed by some rays!
silveryaspen - 2008-03-04: 17:08:00
Good job with the defninition and cartoon. Thank you, James.
Thank you Silveryaspen for the inspiring words! ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by silveryaspen. Thank you silveryaspen. ~ James